Evidence-Based Medicine Matters

Les Rose

Clinical Research Consultant, Pharmavision Consulting

The Medicines Act marked the end of the era of snake oil salesmen – or so we thought. The Act was triggered by an obvious need for evidence for the safety of medicines, but the necessity of evidence for efficacy was equally understood at the time. Informed decisions need evidence, whether the decision is in health care or anywhere else. Forty years later this is still not properly understood by many who should understand it – such as politicians, theologians, and even some eminent physicians seeking career advancement. Knowledge is power, and knowledge cannot exist without evidence.